Blast-furnace.



G. F. JENKINS.

' BLAST FURNAGE.

MPL10-Tron FILED 1111x225, 1910.-

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Novfz, r19.11.

G. F. JENKINS.

BLAST FURNACEu APPLIGATION 11.21) mm: 25, 1910.

15010265. Patented Nov.28,1911.'

/Cf y //F H94 vor the city-acetylene jet 'muren cuentes FRANCIS JENKINS, or WASHINGTON,

.DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA;

BLAST-FUB/NACE.

noioeee. I

Specification of 'Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

Applicatin le .Tune 25, 1910. Serial N0. 568,939.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, CHARLES Financie JEN- KINS, citizen ot' the United States, residing at lNashington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blast-Furnaces, of which the following is a specication. l

This invention relates to that class of apparatus known as lblast furnaces, and has for it fobject ,the enriching of the oxygen content of theblast. Thisis accomplished by utilizing the Waste heat of the furnace gases to produce oxygen orenriching the blast. Practically the Whole cost, therefore, is for power required to operate the pumps, and the interest on the investment. Both these charges may, to a considerable extent, be oiifset by the utilization oit the nitrogen byproduct, as explained later herein. in accomplishing this object l may employ any ci' the commercial processes for the production of oxygen alone, or oxygen-enriched iiuid, to be mixed with the blast.- A description, therefore, of any of the methods of obtaining oxygen is suiicient to illustrate my invention. Thus, practically all of theoXygen ot commerce today, c. g., that used 1n the Oxy-hydrogen jeti'or calcium lighting for autogenous Welding, lis mede-by the following process: Barium oxid is heated to a dull redness in a oble receptacle and air drawn there- The barium oxid takes up oxygen barium peroxid. The air iow is t oli and the 4barium peroxid subjected to a reduction of pressure, with the result that the ou; Ogen is released, that is, the barium peroirid: is resolved into and oxygen, the barium oXid having acted as a filter to separate the oxygen from the' nitrogen of the air, ri`his process is repeated indefinitely with .lilre'gresults. Twin apparatus is employed and. the current of air and the reduced pressure mechanically shifted from one Ato the other about every ten f 1 c i minutes, which makes the process a cont1nuous one. The yield is approximately one thousand cubic :t'eet every,l ten minutes .for each three thousand pounds /o'i barium oiiiid, employed, and one horsepower reouired at the pumps. The barium cmd. dc s not I deteriorate, although in practice-it found advantageous to remove it every ten months or so and break 1t up into smaller lumps barium oxid again. It is also advantageous to extract the moisture and impurities from the air..

In the drawings accompanying these speciications, Figure l shows a Verticall section of a simple furnace equippedwith this invention; Fig. 2 a top View of the same; Fig. 3 an elevation showing one of" the pumps and the three-Way'valves; Fig. 4 a diagram of the piping, etc., and Fig: 5 a typical blast furnace equipped in the' manner probably most suitable for use in the iron and steel industry; v

ln the drawings like symbols refer to like parts, in which A'is a refractory-linedlfurnace; Band B receptacles for containing the barium oxid; C and C' pipes-leading; from these receptacles to the valve D` common to both; E a pipe leading from the valve tothe pump T; from the other end of the receptacles B and B tuo4 pipes, G and the valves H and H which connect With the common pipe l leading to the pumpJ from which latter a pipe `K leads to the air-blast intake L.

.ln Fig. 5l the oxid chambers B' arealranged invertical twin-sections vWitlrcap ends extending above a heating chamber A? Alocated on thev 'outside ofthe furnacel A.

These caps M permit of the convenient charging of the oXid receptacles, the upper ends being properly piped to the pumps, etc.

The operation of the apparatus is as fol'-v lm'vs: The oXid receptacles B and B being charged with barium oxid, the pump li" started which drives air through the pipe E the valvel), and .the pipe C, into the receptacle@ Where the barium ouid taires Aup oxygenforming barium' peroxid, the nitrogen passing on through vpipe Gr and valve H escaping from pipe N, unless itis desired that this nitrogen be usefully employed. At'

ten minutes, the three- I the expiration of, say, Way Valves D and and Hf are thrownover Ywhich closes pipev C and directs 4the lio-v of lair through where itv oxidizes the charge in that :receptacle, While, asbeore, the nitrogen escapes,

through lf.. The suction pump. J (having been. started) apartial vacuum is created in the receptacle B and the peroxid gives up its oxvgen which is therefore drawn o assinlg through the pump (J) the equalizaf -,tion chamber lt, and theplpe K, to mix with the air-blast in', the latter being supplied 'by the pipe C into B- 'XY). The pumps do the pump S. The valves are shifted every ten minutes (for example, by means of suitable automatic gear, represented by box not stop, and the oxygen supply is, therefore, continuous.

Any suitable means may be employed for regulating the heat coming into contact with the oxid receptacles. .For example, the wall of the furnace A, inFig. 1,*is shown with openings T therethrough just beneath the og'id receptacles. Inclosing the wall of the furnace is a band which may be moved to cover the openings so that the full value of the heat acts on the oxid receptacles, while ,if the band is moved to wholly or partially uncover the openings, cool air will be drawn in to deflect the heat more or less away from the receptacles. This can be regulated to provide the required degree of heat In the furnace shown in Fig. 5 the same varia,- tion can be elfected by raising the cover of the furnace more or less which would cause less of the furnace heat to pass through the chamber A2.

An economy of operation can be effected by a commercial utilization of the escaping nitrogen to make nitric acid or nitrate fertilizer, although this is not necessarily a part of this invention.

What I claim, is`

l. In operating a blast furnace, the process, which consists in applying waste heat from ,the furnace to distinct units operated by heat to generate oxygen, and intermittently and automatically discharging the generated oxygen, from the tWo units alternately, in the combustion zone of the furnace.

2. The combination with a blast furnace, of distinct heat-operated oxygen' generators arranged to receive waste heat from the furnace, and automatic means for drawing the generated oxygen from the generators alternately and delivering it in approximately constant flow in the combustion zone of the furnace.

3. The combination with a blast furnace, of distinct heat-operated oxygen generating units, means for intermittenti' supplying air under pressure to said units alternately, and'auton'iatically operated means for withdrawing oxygen from the units alternately while the air supply is cut olf and delivering it in the air blast entering the furnace, all said means being thrown into and out 0f action periodically and automatically.

t. The combinationy witlral blast furnace, of a heat operated unit, Without the furnace, adapted to absorb oxygen from air, `under pressure, supplied thereto, means for supplying such air, means for meantime conducting away the residual gas, means for then cutting olf the air supply, and means for then withdrawing the absorbed oxygen and delivering it in the combustion Zone of the furnace.

l The combination with a blast furnace, of a plurality of heat-operated, oxygen-generating devices placed in the path of the products of combustion passing Afrom lthe furnace and arranged to discharge oxygen in the combustion forcing air through a part of said devices space thereof, Ineans for toward the furnace, and automatic means for shifting the forth from said said devices.

6. The combination with a blast furnace, of a plurality of independent heat-operated oxygen generating devices located in the path of waste'gases from the furnace and arranged to discharge oxygen in the combustion space of the furnace, means for creating a current of air into said devices, valves controlling the air current in the devices, respectively, and means for periodically opening certain of the valves and simultaneously closing others.

4air periodically back and 7. The combination with a blast furnace,

having a lateral discharge flue for Waste gases, of means'for controlling the flow in said flue, independent heat-operated, oxygengenerating devices located in said Hue, and arranged in two sets, to discharge oxygen into the furnace, and means for automatically throwing the sets into action alternatelyat predetermined intervals.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES FRANCIS JENKINS,

Witnesses:

ARTHUR Il. BRYANT, C. S. BROUJN.

part to a different part of p 

